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Colville wins NEA wrestling title

Indians down Lakeside,Riverside back-to-backColville High shared the Northeast A League dual meet championship last winter with Lakeside and Riverside. This time around, there is no sharing—the Indians have annexed the NEA championship over Lakeside and Riverside outright.The Colville Road Warriors, who have seldom been home this winter on what seems like an extended road trip, annexed a league championship last week with a 48-31 win at Lakeside. The Indians, who went through the NEA unscathed this winter, followed that up one night later with a 39-29 dual match win at Riverside.THIS WEEKColville will travel to Freeman High School (Rockford) for the District 7 Tournament on Saturday. The District tournament seeding meeting was Monday night. CHS wrestling coach Randy Cloke said that annual exercise in patience and lobbying tenacity might be particularly interesting this time around.“That should be very interesting…maybe lots of wrestlers moving to different weights,” Cloke said on Monday.Stay tuned.For the first time, Colville High will host the regional tournament on Feb. 11.RECAPDespite what you have always heard about the concept of sharing, Cloke was pleased that his talented young team won’t have to share the league championship with anyone this time around.“We picked up two quality wins last week,” Cloke said. “I was really proud of the kids for the way they battled and competed on back-to-back nights to win the league title outright.”After a tough win on Thursday at Nine Mile Falls over perennial Class 1A wrestling power Lakeside, the Indians ran up against a sold RHS program and officials who were determined to take control early—very early.Referee controlled“The Riverside dual was very physical and referee controlled,” Cloke said of his team’s visit to Chattaroy. Cloke said that he experienced a first at Riverside. Prior to the match, both coaches were ushered into the coach’s locker room and told in no uncertain terms that the officials were in a no tolerance kind of mood.So much for killing the mood.“For the first time in my 30 years or so in and around wrestling, we were taken into the coach’s room and given a pre-match lecture about how they were going to call the match…that the athlete’s season would end that night if anyone was unsportsmanlike.“They said they expected a tough, close match and that there would be zero tolerance for emotions.”The coaches were told to have their wrestlers ready to report immediately at the beginning of the next match, Cloke related, adding that he was told that Colville would be penalized if the Indians went through with their usual team send-out before each match “where we circle as a team and announce each wrestler’s last name.”As it turned out, the lecturing became a pivotal point in a closely contested match. For the first time all season, Colville won the coin toss (allows the team to choose even or odd matches to present their wrestler first).The dual started at 195 pounds.“We made sure that Brock VanQuekelberg weighed in above 173 pounds so he could wrestle up, to avoid wrestling (Riverside) Tri-State champion, Dewey Bender (at 195),” Cloke explained. The Indians chose to forfeit to Bender and take their chances at 220 pounds with VanQuekelberg. As instructed, VanQuekelberg immediately reported to the table after Bender took the forfeit. Suddenly, Riverside was scrambling because the Ram’s coaching staff figured the Indians had forfeits in the upper two weights.Taking a little too much for grantedThat has been Colville status quo all season long.“We usually do have forfeits in the upper two weights,” Cloke said. “But we weighed Brock (VanQuekelberg) over 173. Thus, by rule, that made him a 195 pounder and allowed him to wrestle 195 or 220.”Given the hurried nature of the match and the protocol’s match officials established early-on, Riverside sent Lee out at 220, but the Riverside wrestler wasn’t eligible to wrestle at that weight.“He didn’t weigh at the proper weight class to be eligible for 220,” Cloke said. “He could only compete at 172 or 195…the match was stopped and he was disqualified.”The win went to VanQuekelberg and the Indians picked up important points.“That was huge,” Cloke added. “And, of course, it didn’t sit well with the Riverside crowd.”The Riverside match-up was a back-and-forth affair. One of the keys for the Indians was Benny Knight (113 pounds). His third round takedown turned the tide and was key in a 4-2 win over Calder.Another big win for CHS came at 160 pounds. Julio Valencia, this week’s Colville Benchwarmer’s CHS Athlete of the Week, decisioned Riverside’s Crabtree, 14-9. “Julio was able to put him on his back late in the third round (five points) to win,” Cloke said.Colville 48, Lakeside 31 170: Chandler Knight (Co.) p. J. Judd, 5:28.182: Hunter LeCaire (Co.) p. King, 2:07.195: Hausen (La.) p. Vanquekelberg, 1:20.220: Pettet (La.) won by forfeit.185: Dring (La.) won by forfeit.106: Tyler Ward (Co.) p. Lubbin, 1:28.113: Ben Knight (Co.) p. Ulland, 1:49.120: H. Judd (La.) d. Jessie Morrison, 9-2.126: Skyler Donner (Co.) p. Lauderdale, 2:21.132: Brown (La.) md. Josh Hamilton, 17-6.138: Trenton Welton (Co.) p. Chase, 2:54.145: Tanner Smith (Co.) p. Yates, :53.152: Julio Valencia (Co.) p. Martin, 3:52.160: Fuson (La.) p. Nate Blanchard, 4:51.Colville 39, Riverside 29195: Bender (RHS) won by forfeit.220: VanQuekelberg (Co.) won by forfeit.285: Peterson (RHS) won by forfeit.106: Ward (Co.) won by forfeit.113: B. Knight (Co.) d. Calder, 4-2.120: Love (RHS) md. Morrison, 12-3.126: Kit Major (RHS) p. Donner, 5:22.132: Hamilton (Co.) d. Weatherall, 10-8.138: Welton (Co.) p. Stirton, 1:53.145: Smith (Co.) p. Proctor, 1:34.152: Conley (RHS) d. Blanchard, 11-1.160: Valencia (Co.) d. Crabtree, 12-8.170—Knight (Co.) p. Davis, 1:13..182: Conklin (RHS) d. LeCaire, 6-3.